Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Originally Posted by Brielle87

It is sad in a way, because I was excited about the new Tonka scent, that there is such pricing disparity with Guerlain under LVMH. In a bygone era, a new Guerlain, same quality as L'Art et la Matière line, was sold at prices all could enjoy.
Now it seems LVMH have created 2 Guerlain, one priced somewhat reasonably selling "ok" fragrances, then another selling wonderful scents (in-league with the classics we all love) at a very expensive price-point.
I am sorry, I think $230 is an exorbitant amount to spend on an average sized bottle of scent.
It truly sounds delicious, but I will enjoy it vicariously.

Brielle you are dead on, Guerlain says it worst:
"For lovers of beauty and rarity, for aesthetes on a quest for perfection, these exclusive collections represent the quintessence of Guerlain. They are created by mysterious
alchemists, artists in fragrance, who compose their formula like a work of art, guided by
emotion alone." (In regards to the L’Art et La Matière line)

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

but all perfumers have increased their prices ... Guerlain is therefore not so expensive

and you can decide to buy one bottle of Guerlain 's excellence and exclusive instead of 2 bottles of another perfumer's average juice

Right, that was the point. We individually decide whether the cost a perfume is worth the price, so that is another thread.

Has anyone smelled Tonka Imperiale?

Some marketing information:

Originally Posted by Guerlain Press

With Tonka Impériale, Thierry Wasser has created the seventh fragrance in L’Art et la
Matière collection, a woody oriental composed around one of Guerlain's star ingredients,
the tonka bean.

It has to be said that this precious seed, originating in the forests of Venezuela, is particularly
dear to the House. From Jicky to Shalimar via Habit Rouge, it is one of the cult components
of the Guerlinade. What, then, could be more natural than to celebrate the tonka bean with
a tailor-made composition, but one that would avoid the excesses of almonds? Not an easy
task since, if ever an ingredient was difficult to master, this is the one.

Tonka Impériale is well-named indeed: a subtle blend of balmy scents, rich in contrasting
facets, with accents of honey, gingerbread, almond, hay and tobacco. An astonishing
construction that blows hot and cold between the freshness of rosemary, the aromatic,
uplifting top note, and the sweet, pervasive fullness of tonka bean. Highly concentrated,
beautifully balanced, it gives the fragrance a rare and memorable personality. Alluring and
surprising, the tonka bean reveals all its power to arrest. An irresistible attraction, love at
first sight.

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Got my sample of Tonka Impériale from the Guerlain house today. First impression is that it's very very pretty. Sweeter than Vol de Nuit, but with a dusky melancholy that is quite Guerlain. I begin to believe that Wasser was well-chosen. The drydown reminds me of Cuir Beluga which is a bit boring, actually. Still, one of the prettiest of the Art & Matiere scents which I in general don't have the strongest passion for... I could eventually see myself getting this together with Bois d'Armenie some day...

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Day two: I like this. Not as "white" as Cuir Beluga. More character. I think it will delight both men (its herbal-woody accord) and women (the velvety balsam of tonka bean). Tonka Impériale is maybe "the most Guerlain" of this "modern niche" line: It has the emblematic reminiscence of Jicky, just modernized as more pleasingly straight-out gourmand.

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Originally Posted by Ruggles

I can't wait to try this one

ditto!

"What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of human beings, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the sufferings of the injured" Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

I tried this today, it certainly is to tonka what Spiritueuse Double Vanille is to vanilla. It goes through all the slight variations of tonka: praline/cherry/almond, but it doesn't really add up to much of a formula. Hmmm.

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

I guess I just don't get Tonka Imperiale. It just doesn't seem up to the Guerlain name to me. Nothing about this frag does anything for my nose. It's not nasty or anything negative. It's just not any thing more than your average designer frag.

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Been wearing it for some days now, and I think I agree that, like Ruggles said, it's not too much of a *real* formula. Then again, none of the Art+Matiere are, which is why I have never fallen for them, they are all too "niche" and "arty" and one-dimensional to really thrill me, I don't find the "Guerlain smile" in any of them, they are too "polished". Tonka Impériale is as pleasant as the tonka bean itself, but it's not *wow* like Spiritueuse Double Vanille was. Still, in Tonka Impériale I find the "Guerlain smile" a bit more than in the first six Art+Maitiere, it's a bit more candid and vibrant after all.

PS: It seems that Guerlain is aware that this line is quite one-dimensional. When I was in Paris, a SA told me that "Spiritueuse Double Vanille is good to layer with other Guerlains" (although strictly speaking, SDV is not in that line). Somehow, I don't like that trend chez Guerlain...

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Just my two cents on this one, from my initial impressions and review:

Initially, there is a blast of something that smells a bit like rum or brandy, but this is ephemeral. Soon the scent begins to show off its title component, tonka bean. When this appears, it seems a bit muddied at first, but that, too, soon resolves, and a clear honey note emerges alongside the tonka. Then, in rapid succession, vanilla, tobacco, and amber. Strangely, the real signature of this waits for the end, which is a while in coming: with all the others setting the stage, a spicy-woody rosemary steals in, and makes this creation truly beautiful. There is a definite unity of style among the L'Art et la Matière series, and this one fits right in, somewhere between Angélique Noire and Bois d'Arménie.

Last edited by JaimeB; 22nd February 2010 at 07:34 AM.

Yr good bud,

JaimeB

"Why spend life seeking that which does not satisfy? Why remain a slave, when freedom waits? Let your life shine; illumine the world with your truth!"

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Originally Posted by JaimeB

...somewhere between Angélique Noire and Bois d'Arménie.

Somehow, it reminds me mostly of Cuir Beluga. The base of Tonka Impériale to my nose has the same dryish, modern-leatherish feel, a bit "milky" like Cuir Beluga, like one of those shining new Italian white leather designer chairs, but sweetened by some nougat. Yeah, nougat is what I get from Tonka Impériale. White leather rubbed with nougat, and maybe softened with some Amaretto

Edit: There's also a big portion of face powder in it. The powder comes after the "white leather". It's quite powdery, actually. It makes it much Guerlain-like...

Today I wear it on one arm, Jicky vintage EdT on the other, and it strikes me that the former is, like, 100 times more sweet than old Jicky was. Jicky can feel sweet alone, but next to the Tonka, it's smells like being outdoors hanging laundry up for drying

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Originally Posted by Mr. G

Been wearing it for some days now, and I think I agree that, like Ruggles said, it's not too much of a *real* formula. Then again, none of the Art+Matiere are, which is why I have never fallen for them, they are all too "niche" and "arty" and one-dimensional to really thrill me, I don't find the "Guerlain smile" in any of them, they are too "polished". Tonka Impériale is as pleasant as the tonka bean itself, but it's not *wow* like Spiritueuse Double Vanille was. Still, in Tonka Impériale I find the "Guerlain smile" a bit more than in the first six Art+Maitiere, it's a bit more candid and vibrant after all.

PS: It seems that Guerlain is aware that this line is quite one-dimensional. When I was in Paris, a SA told me that "Spiritueuse Double Vanille is good to layer with other Guerlains" (although strictly speaking, SDV is not in that line). Somehow, I don't like that trend chez Guerlain...

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Wonderful descriptions, fellas. I feel as though I've almost smelled it through your words.
Will enjoy meeting TI whenever it crosses my path, but will not fear its impacting my budget.
Thanks for your input, my dears.

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”― E.B. White

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

I can barely contain my excitement. My sample better get here soon. I'm not the biggest fan of old Guerlains, maybe that's why I really enjoy the whole L'Art et la Matière line, they're sort of different spins on a niche gourmand, highlighting a different note in each one. I love Bois d'Armenie, and am on a big almond kick right now, so it's sounding better and better all the time.

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Originally Posted by Mr. G

Somehow, it reminds me mostly of Cuir Beluga. The base of Tonka Impériale to my nose has the same dryish, modern-leatherish feel, a bit "milky" like Cuir Beluga, like one of those shining new Italian white leather designer chairs, but sweetened by some nougat. Yeah, nougat is what I get from Tonka Impériale. White leather rubbed with nougat, and maybe softened with some Amaretto

Edit: There's also a big portion of face powder in it. The powder comes after the "white leather". It's quite powdery, actually. It makes it much Guerlain-like...

Man, I had the exact same experience. I couldn't agree more with your description Mr. G - vanilla, nougat, amaretto, powdered leather - what a mix! I spent a little time in the Guerlain shop here in Montreal, and I was lucky enough to sniff some real tonka beans they had on hidden away with their sampler of Tonka Imperial. TK really is a fantastic rendition of tonka beans, and enjoyable to boot.

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

I like the tonka in this. But thats about it. Its all basenotes...an ocean of spineless heavy notes rubbing against each other with no longitude. Layer it with one of the Guerlain Eaux's to create more structure and a better frag.

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Originally Posted by zztopp

I like the tonka in this. But thats about it. Its all basenotes...an ocean of spineless heavy notes rubbing against each other with no longitude. Layer it with one of the Guerlain Eaux's to create more structure and a better frag.

Yes, but what a base - it never degrades into a banal synthetic miasma like so many other high end fragrances seem to do. Is it really a finished fragrance? Like you, I'm not so convinced.

Re: Guerlain: Tonka Impériale

Yes, but what a base - it never degrades into a banal synthetic miasma like so many other high end fragrances seem to do. Is it really a finished fragrance? Like you, I'm not so convinced.

I'm really looking forward to trying Tonka Imperiale, but after reading that it's all basenotes, it worries me. The only l'art et la matiere i had was angelique noire. it had beautiful herbal and bittersweet topnotes that unfortunately lasted for a couple of minutes tops, then forms into what it supposed to be the heart and base. it is very, very linear and that it what annoys me really and why i had to sell it recently. the whole l'art et la matiere line is really well made imho, but unfortunate because they are so simple and linear (with the exception of maybe Cuir Beluga which goes through a couple of bases). I do hope tonka imperiale will break that mold though.